Title: Sweet Release
Author: Miss Anthrope
Disclaimer: Characters used belong to JK Rowling; the dialogue and other information not taken from her books are proudly mine.
Rating: I put this story under a rating of T since I suppose you can handle this.
Warning(s): I would, but that would just ruin the story. This has no mpreg, fpreg, or slash though.
Genre(s): Angst/Tragedy, and also a bit of romance if I could add that as a memo.
Author's Note: You can find the song that pushed me to make this at the end of the story.
Dedication(s): To my mom, who had been the 'model Narcissa' I used loosely here.
Summary: What would you be willing to give in exchange for your freedom and happiness? Your wealth? Your family? Your fame? …How about your life?
- - - -
The breeze was cool as it floated through the large bay windows left ajar to welcome in the late autumn evening. The curtains swayed gently in motion as a figure, just as lithe and pale emerged from behind them, slowly pushing herself forward from the shadows that consumed the vaulted room. As always, Narcissa was spending yet another night alone in the master chambers, the dead silence of the manor her only companion whilst her husband was off in one place or another. Once in a while, the thought had occurred to her to ask Lucius to stay with her, or even just ask where it was he was to go now; but then her strict upbringing would soon chasten her, reminding her harshly that proper wives never question their husbands and their personal matters.
Narcissa felt a shiver run up her spine as she soon left the warmth of the bed, her quiet sanctum in the darkness where she had usually spilled her tears across the duvets. The moonbeams filtered through the glass, illuminating her figure as she stepped farther from the room and the undeniable coldness.
For some reason, as she bathed in the light, Narcissa felt as though she were being transported back to happier times, days when she would be daring enough to go with her cousins and sisters to the garden and weave their way through the several hedges, sometimes even getting themselves lost in a maze. An ethereal glow settled itself around Narcissa, the nostalgia growing within her making her he happiest she had ever been for years.
It had been so long ago, so very long ago, she couldn't help but ponder morosely as Narcissa hesitatingly broke off her reverie.
From the day her parents had proudly announced her betrothal to none other than a Malfoy, Lucius had promised her the world, which she in turn accepted along with an expansive array of jewelry, robes, galleons, and even Malfoy Manor itself; she supposed she had been too naïve to realize then that in fulfilling that pledge, he had never included neither his time or any form of love. For that mistake, Narcissa knew that she would have to pay for it with the rest of her life and with no choice but to appear contented with this so-called perfection.
Another chilling blast of wind passed her way and Narcissa was forced to put on her dressing gown, the fur-lined collar instantly warming up her body. Her flaxen hair shone silver, much like a veela, as she quietly moved to the spacious balcony that was just as abandoned as the rest of the house. Narcissa could still recall afternoons spent just lying down lazily across the divan from the times her stomach swelled from months of pregnancy to the short-lived days she had spent with her son, Draco.
It was still a daily struggle for her as a mother to live without her child, not knowing how he was coping so far away from home. Maybe it was wrong of Narcissa to continually spoil him like a five year old, but maternal pleasure was the only thing that got her by some of the most somber days despite the fact that it wasn't something she should have been indulging in as much. Sometimes, it would also seem to her, that Draco had been the only reason she had allowed herself to continue this way, to continue living this lie.
But now he is becoming like his father, just exactly what Lucius had wanted.
Underneath her exquisite mask, her impassive looks held within them the feeling of remorse for having lost the only person in her life that had meant the world to her. Narcissa couldn't believe for the life of her that she had actually failed to fulfill her promise of always protecting her son from all the demons in the world- one of which was his own father. She felt as though she had let him slip through her fingers in the process of letting Draco discover himself, only to land in the arms if the devil and his accomplices.
Narcissa blew out a sigh as she slowly crept back into her room, the windows shutting out the breeze as the closed quietly behind her. Padding her way back to the bed, she stood for a moment in front of the armoire, pools of cobalt meeting its own as she began to stare back at an image of herself taken summers before. A ghost of a smile touched Narcissa's lips as she watched herself come sit down beside a smiling toddler, his bright gray eyes looking up in admiration at his father, looking very much out of place in the picture with his dark colored robes amongst the lush greens and pastels of her clothes.
What she wouldn't have given for just a day of freedom, a day to step out of any proper decorum and for once, just live as she had always dreamt of. She would have offered anything and everything she had, her money, her impressive heritage, and as Narcissa glimpsed at the adjoining bathroom, her life…
- - - -
Lucius Malfoy, as always, quietly flooed back into his personal study, the fireplace already crackling with life as prepared by the house elves despite the fact that it was still morning. Stepping over towards his great mahogany desk, he glanced down at the pile of parchments in great distaste, his distinctly pointed face showing clearly that going through Ministry paperwork was something he did not like all too well doing. With a flick of his wand, his dark hooded cloak and porcelain mask was discarded into the back of a wooden paneling until was to be used again in a fortnight.
The sun shone brightly through the many windows, the hyacinths charmed to be just azure as the cloudless sky, and Lucius couldn't help but hold back a grimace as he passed each one. Upon reaching the breakfast room, it was truly a surprise for him, something in itself was a feat to be accomplished, when he had at once noticed that something was missing. His face did not dare betray this sudden surge of confusion but Lucius merely snapped his fingers and commanded the first elf as to the whereabouts of his wife.
"Mistress has not yet come down from the bedroom, Master."
This new information, instead of quenching his curiosity, fueled it further as Lucius was left wondering as to the possible reason behind this strange occurrence. In all their years of marriage, he had never once bothered to inform Narcissa of his whereabouts and appointments and for the most part, had been pleased with her acceptance of this and had more or less returned the favor. On most days, Lucius would have been contented with the fact that his wife was not there when expected, albeit a little strange; but after having been told that Narcissa was still in bed at nine o'clock in the morning was unheard of, considering the fact that every socialite's day begins nearly at dawn to prepare themselves for a day of teas and event organizations.
For an inexplicable reason, a foreign feeling of something that resembled dread began to creep up his skin with each step Lucius took. A slight frown settled itself subliminally on his otherwise flawless face as he abruptly stopped in front of an immense oak door, the gilded doorknob shining with the Malfoy family crest emblazoned proudly on it. For the second time that day, Lucius felt a slight confusion wash over him as he thought over whether to knock or not, seeing as how this was a situation he had never envisioned he would be in.
Best to just act typical so this madness can be done with.
Lucius immediately strode through the door without any further preamble to find, as he had been informed earlier, his wife still sprawled on the bed, her back turned fully against him. Admittedly, he felt rather unsure as he continued to step closer to Narcissa as to the second order of action considering that this was the first time he could remember so far, that he had ever caught her asleep.
Surreptitiously sitting by her on the opposite side of the bed, Lucius slowly took her silken clad form in, his fingers reaching out to loop themselves within her long blonde curls. As his hands began to weave along her tresses, his thumb grazed slightly her cheek and drew back sharply at the iciness of her skin. The feeling that had been gnawing at him relentlessly grew as Lucius had suddenly noticed that Narcissa's chest no longer was rhythmically rising and falling, but instead was disturbingly still, much like the air that was surrounding him.
Lucius rigidly stood up from the bed and rounded on the other side, his characteristically expressionless eyes widening in shock as they stumbled upon a crimson pool tinting the white marble floor. Leading up from the blood, saw her thin wrist hanging limply above it as her last drops fell easily from the patch of raw skin that looked striking against the rest of her paleness.
Looking from his rooted spot in front of her, Lucius eyed warily for a letter or even a note explaining anything about this mess at all but found none. His vision began to spin and grew increasingly faster as the seconds wore on, not even giving him enough time to balance himself on the desk. The last thing Lucius spotted was a picture frame pushed beneath the bed, just one glass shard missing from the broken mass and a young Narcissa waving to him just as his head hit the ground beside it.
- - - -
Out of the box
Out of the kitchen
Out of the world she's grown so fearful of,
So fearful of
I don't ever want to see you again…
…My friend, this is the end.
Out of the house
She grabs the keys
Runs for the hills and doesn't leave a letter
That way the impact will be much better
Away from the man that she's grown so fearful of,
So fearful of
I don't ever want to see you again…
…Speak now or forever hold your peace in pieces.
-Excerpts from Down and Out, by The Academy Is…
Thanks for reading my story and I hope that you can take the time to comment, even if just about the song or something. I wasn't really keen on posting this, but I really needed to delete some files in my computer and this was the quickest way I thought to save this somewhere as well as to hopefully provide some good reading for a few people.
-Miss Anthrope
(Sam)